Can Africa benefit from “America First” foreign policy?

The Donald Trump administration’s “America First” foreign policy, featuring “reciprocal tariffs” and a transactional approach to diplomacy, has redefined U.S.- Africa relations. For African leaders, this presents new challenges in navigating the evolving diplomatic and commercial landscape as they pursue their own strategic interests. Here are some suggestions for accelerating investment-led development with the U.S.

Partnerships still matter: More than ever, African governments need to deepen the dialogue with their own private sector and the American companies that have invested in their countries and regions. Channels for understanding why U.S. companies are invested in African markets, the challenges they face, and what is necessary to attract others already exist. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has 18 affiliated entities across Africa and 15 others in development. In June, the Corporate Council on Africa convened more than 2,700 U.S. and African public and private sector leaders in Luanda, Angola for the U.S.-Africa Business summit, resulting in more than $4 billion in new deals and commitments.¹ Strengthening the dialogue between African governments and the U.S. private sector through these and related organizations is an important step to take.

Sub-national engagement: Washington still matters, but so do cities and states. Many city governments have offices that promote trade with African nations, sister-city relationships, and diaspora affairs. Atlanta, for example, launched Atlanta “Phambili” (Atlanta Forward in Zulu and Xhosa), an initiative that led to a trade mission to South Africa by the city’s political, business, and community leaders.² Other cities such as Washington, New York, Minneapolis, and Philadelphia have offices that focus on African diaspora issues, including trade and investment.

Every state has a state-level trade agency that partners with the U.S. Commercial Service and are valuable resources for reaching American investors. In May 2024, the Virginia’s Economic Development Partnership led a trade mission to Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire,³ while California sent an economic and climate delegation to Kenya and Nigeria in August 2025.⁴ Strategically engaging city and state governments can generate commercial results for African nations.

Utilizing American content: With the Trump administration wanting to see tangible benefits in its trade deals, combined with efforts to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act, African governments should consider utilizing American content where possible in exports to the U.S. In April, the Trump administration issued Executive Order 14257, which imposes duties only on the non-U.S. portion of a product, provided at least 20% of the value of that product has U.S. content.⁵ Against this background, a U.S. company, the U.S.-Africa Trade Desk, exported 300 tons of premium-grade cotton from North Carolina to Mauritius in August.⁶ That portion of Mauritian apparel products that are made with this American cotton will enter the U.S. duty free if it accounts for at least 20% of the product. The rest of the product will face a 10% reciprocal duty.

Commercial diplomacy: Under the Trump administration, “U.S. ambassadors in Africa are now being evaluated on how effectively they advocate for U.S. business and the number of deals they facilitate.”⁷ This can be invaluable to U.S. companies as they seek to navigate African bureaucracies and business environments. This also creates new opportunities for African leaders and U.S. diplomats to collaborate on attracting investments into priority areas. The recent meeting between President William Ruto and U.S. Chargé d’Affairs Susan Burns in Kenya to discuss trade, security, and technology cooperation is an encouraging reflection of the new emphasis on commercial diplomacy.⁸ Efforts to finalize a Regional Economic Integration Framework between the Rwandan and Congolese governments is similarly important to attracting new investment into a region that has seen little investment from the U.S.⁹

Corridors can be strategic for Africa, too: The Lobito Corridor initiative, started under the Joe Biden administration and continued by Trump, is generating results. Just eleven months after Washington and the European Union launched their partnership with the governments of Angola, the DRC, and Zambia, the U.S. was already receiving exports of copper cathodes.¹⁰

Just as importantly, there are expected to be substantial benefits for the estimated six million people who live along the corridor.¹¹ Already, the rehabilitation phase of the rail line has created more than 3,000 jobs, with local content exceeding 60% of the total project value.¹² It is also anticipated that 50,000 smallholder farmers could receive agricultural support programs and digital literacy and financial inclusion initiatives could reach more than 300,000 residents.¹³

Other corridors are likely to be developed that will produce mutual benefits for African nations and the U.S. For example, Liberia’s president, Joseph Boakai, recently announced¹⁴ his support for the Liberty Corridor—a $1.8 billion initiative.¹⁵ Liberia also signed an agreement with the U.S.-owned Ivanhoe Atlantic to upgrade the Yekepa-to-Buchanan rail and port infrastructure, which would have job-creating benefits for Liberia.¹⁶ Additionally, the U.S. reaffirmed its support for a $500 million Millennium Challenge Compact in Mozambique that will focus in part on transportation infrastructure.¹⁷ Strengthening strategic corridors is consistent with the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement to facilitate movement of goods across African borders and the priorities of the African Union’s Program Infrastructure Development for Africa.¹⁸

The bottom line is that significant potential exists for deepening commercial ties between the U.S. and Africa in this new era of “America First” foreign policy.